


His Daughter's Trust

by graysonsflight



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Abusive sibling, Babs is only seven, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, James Jr. is not okay, Jim is trying to be a good dad, My Lost and Found Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24923320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graysonsflight/pseuds/graysonsflight
Summary: Jim Gordon would have given almost anything for a smoke. He could practically feel the cigarette between his lips and taste the phantom nicotine as it filled his lungs. Barring that, he really wanted to put his fist through a wall. But neither of those things would solve his current problem – and both actions were typically frowned upon within the walls of a Gotham General Hospital examination room. More importantly, either of them would probably upset his daughter, and they had been through enough for one day.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon & Jim Gordon
Comments: 14
Kudos: 27





	His Daughter's Trust

**Author's Note:**

> So I needed there to be more Barbara and her Dad content, and then this happened.The story _does_ fit into my **Lost and Found** universe - but it would technically make it the "first" story in the series and I'm not sure that's what I'm looking to start out with right now? Anyway - please enjoy! 💛

Jim Gordon would have given almost anything for a smoke. He could practically feel the cigarette between his lips and taste the phantom nicotine as it filled his lungs. Barring that, he really wanted to put his fist through a wall. But neither of those things would solve his current problem – and both actions were typically frowned upon within the walls of a Gotham General Hospital examination room. More importantly, either of them would probably upset his daughter, and they had been through enough for one day.

About two hours into his shift, Jim had revived a call from dispatch, letting him know his wife had been trying to get a hold of him. He’d never really thought it pertinent to tell the brass he and the Missus had been living apart for the better part of four months, but his partner had known, and urged him to go make the call. He owed Bill a coffee.

She had been hysterical when he’d called, sobbing that their daughter had been hurt. There had been a broken story full of holes about how little Barbara had fallen down the stairs and how she just wouldn’t stop _crying_ . The woman had been beside herself and Jim hadn’t seen any other option. His partner had driven them back to the station, he’d hopped in his car, and he had _floored_ to the house he’d used to live in.

The truth had been worse than Barbara’s story. When he had gotten there, his seven year old had been crying, clutching a bag of frozen corn to her arm, doing nothing for the odd angle it hung at. His princess had handled it like a soldier though; the second he’d scooped her into his arms, her whimpers had stopped, even though the tears continued to slide noiselessly down her face. He hadn’t been willing to stick around to listen to his wife’s tale. Jim had heard the phrase “He didn’t mean to!” shouted enough times. Instead he had tucked his daughter into the back of his sedan and driven towards the hospital.

Once they’d gotten there, there had been an incredibly uncomfortable conversation in which the attending nurse, Linda, had asked Babs what had happened, and Jim had listened to his daughter lie through her teeth. Without a moment’s hesitation, the little girl had launched into some bullshit story about how she’d been fooling around by the stairs, been clumsy and fallen. If her tight smile had been any indication, Nurse Linda hadn’t bought it either. Nor had the doctor who’d come in afterwards. Jim would have bet his badge they’d be making calls to CPS and his precinct.

He turned toward his little girl, trying to hide his anxiety, but he could tell as soon as she’d met his eyes, she’d found it. She was so young, but he could never hide anything from her; Babs had always been perceptive. Her little brows quirked up and she stopped the kicking of her shoes from where they hung off the exam table he’d placed her on less than fifteen minutes ago, when they’d brought her back from getting her cast. The nurse had asked him to stay behind, probably so she could question Babs without him present, and he’d hated it – but the woman had been doing her job, and Barbara had been so brave.

“Daddy?” she asked, her voice still tight as she gripped her left arm to her chest. He wished the doctors had done more to stop her pain. The tear stains still marked her cheeks, the red splotches trying to blot out her freckles.

“Yes princess?” He moved closer, letting his fingers stroke through her messy hair, a part of him vaguely wondering how hard it would be to learn to braid it, because even if she was _a big girl and could do it on her own_ , she wasn’t going to be able to do much with a broken arm.

“I don’t wanna go back to Mommy’s. I want to stay with you.”

Jim nodded, not trusting himself to speak right away. It took every ounce of his self-control not to shake as he continued to stroke her hair. He was angry and scared and he was a grown ass adult, he could only imagine how terrifying this all was for her.

“Yeah, I know princess, I know.” Jim pressed a kiss to her forehead, mentally willing the doctor that had popped in earlier to hurry up. He knew it was the calling around that was taking them so long, and that was fine. Jim would deal with whatever paperwork and questioning he had to, he just wished they’d hurry up so he could take her home.

_Home_ . That was a whole other level of complicated. Jim knew his apartment wasn’t in _the best_ neighborhood and if it were just him it would be fine, but it would never be just him ever again. Barbara would not be going back to her mothers’ – not tonight and not ever. He would make sure of that.

“It’s going to be a little tight,” he told her, remembering that he didn’t have a spare set of towels, let alone a second bedroom. “But we’ll make it work. I promise. Maybe this weekend we can start looking for a new place. Would you like that?”

She nodded her head slowly as she started to chew her bottom lip. It was her tell; Barbara was thinking hard about something.

“Daddy?” she said after a minute. “What about Jamie?”

_Ah yes_ , the other incredibly complicated pieces in this hellish puzzle. Jim took a minute, opened his mouth and tried to speak, but the right words just wouldn’t come to him. He studied her eyes, as though they could tell him the right thing – but they were terrified. And _Christ_ , he couldn’t blame her.

“It might…take a bit,” Jim hedged. “But Jamie might come live with us and then – ” He stopped, his heart clenching painfully as he watched her shake her head, wishing there was a way to get her to tell him what really happened.

“Jamie scares me,” she whispered. Fresh tears filled her eyes, but she sniffed and stubbornly refused to let them fall.

“I know,” he said, not knowing how to tell his little girl she was allowed to be afraid, and that he was sorry he wasn’t there to stop it – to protect her. “Babs, hunnie, do you trust me?”

“Maybe,” she answered, her childlike honestly a knife to his gut. She studied him right back as he looked at her, still clutching the purple cast so tightly to her chest. “Are you going to leave me again?”

“No,” Jim answered, his voice harsher than he meant it. “No, I am not going to leave you again.”

“Promise?” she whispered through another sniffle.

“I promise.”

“Because _I know_ that’s a really big thing and I know…” her little voice trailed off as her eyebrows scrunched together and she looked down at his belt where his badge and his gun still hung.

“You’re right,” Jim agreed, carefully pulling her down off the table and into his lap. “It _is_ a really big thing to promise. But I tell you what, I promise to do everything I can not to leave you again. How does that sound?”

He felt her nod as she tucked her head into his neck as she offered out her undamaged arm, her little pinky extended for him: “I trust you.”

Jim let out a shaking breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding as he hooked his pinky around hers. He wasn’t sure he deserved her trust – not after he had given her up without a fight, but he would spend the rest of his life making up for that.

Tonight he’d take her home. He’d feed her ice cream for dinner and tuck her into his bed with the TV on. In the morning he’d contact a lawyer and he would do what needed to be done. He would try to get Jamie the help he so clearly needed, and he would do whatever it took to keep his daughter safe. He would make sure she grew up strong – knowing how much he loved her. Jim Gordon would do everything in his power to always be worthy of his daughter’s trust.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading - I appreciate the heck out of your comments and kudos. If you're interested in more of this Babs, this story directly relates to my _Not a Date_. Please take care of yourself - because you are important. 💛💛


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